Monthly Prayer Focus

“We really have no weapons against spiritual attack other than prayer and worship. … We need [a team] praying for us in order to survive in the work of the ministry”—Jonathan, GFA World Mission Support Team member for 9 years.

On the field, national missionaries share Christ’s love with communities in Africa and Asia. And around the globe, people like you partner with those missionaries to fulfill the Great Commission. Connecting those two groups is a small yet vital team of people—the GFA World Mission Support Team (MST).

The Mission Support Team keeps GFA’s offices running. Their work links national missionaries with their donors and prayer partners in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Finland, Germany, South Africa, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

These behind-the-scenes missionaries who work in GFA’s offices have answered God’s call to give their lives and use their skills to help fulfill the Great Commission. Many of them have moved from other states or provinces, leaving behind family, friends, careers and educational opportunities. Just like national missionaries, GFA World’s Mission Support Team need partnership and prayer. Here are some ways you can pray:

GFA World seeks to transform communities through Christ’s love, and GFA’s behind-the-scenes missionaries are a key part of this work. Whether they’re writing a newsletter to donors, mowing the office lawn or coding a webpage, the Mission Support Team enables more and more people to hear the name of Jesus.

But sometimes, when faced with a mountain of emails or yet another break in the outdoor irrigation system, it can be easy for the Mission Support Team to forget why they’re doing what they’re doing. They need faith to connect their daily tasks to their mission. And they need the Lord to continually give them His passion for those still waiting to hear about Christ.

Pray God will enable GFA behind-the-scenes missionaries to see the people they’re reaching the same way Christ sees them—as people in need of compassion and hope (see Matthew 9:36). Pray He will fill them with joy and passion, reminding them that they are building the kingdom through even the most mundane tasks.

In their work, the Mission Support Team face various dilemmas—everything from how to fix a problematic printer to how to best communicate with GFA’s partners after a natural disaster on the mission field. Some of the Mission Support Team serve in their areas of expertise—as writers, IT support staff or accountants—while others are learning brand new skills in the department where they serve.

Regardless of the problems they face, the physical challenges they juggle or the experience they bring, it’s “not by might nor by power” (Zechariah 4:6) but by the Spirit that God’s kingdom grows and communities are transformed.

Please pray that no matter what challenges MST members face, they would each depend on the Lord. Pray for wisdom and breakthroughs for problems that need to be resolved and decisions that need to be made. Pray also that God will help them walk closely with Him, enabling them to be part of the glorious things He is doing around the world.

Spiritual attack is real, and MST members are a prime target. As the vital link between believers in the West and our brothers and sisters in Africa and Asia, behind-the-scenes missionaries often face attack in the form of discouragement, weariness or even physical sickness and injury. They need God’s protection, provision and strength to be faithful in the mission He’s given them.

Please ask the Father to protect the Mission Support Team—physically and spiritually—from anything Satan might throw at them. Pray they will put on the full armor of God and be able to stand firm in their calling all the way to the end (see Ephesians 6:10-18).

At each of GFA World’s offices, the MST have a common goal and a common Lord. But each person also has their own unique personality, likes and dislikes and, yes, faults. Despite this human reality, they strive to walk humbly and love one another, knowing they are brothers and sisters in Christ who share the goal of reaching people who have yet to hear of Jesus.

Pray the Mission Support Team’s love for each other will “abound still more” (Philippians 1:9-11) and that God will protect their hearts from bitterness. Pray they can communicate and work well together.

GFA World’s offices always need more staff to effectively complete the mission God has given them, linking hundreds of national missionaries to their current and potential partners in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South Korea. While skills in fields such as graphic design and IT can help the ministry to thrive and grow, the most important qualification for new behind-the-scenes missionaries is a love for God. Because at the most basic level, GFA World MST are missionaries—laborers for the Lord, willing to serve in community and surrender their time, talents and lives to His purposes.

Pray God will “send out laborers” (Matthew 9:37-38) to join the Mission Support Team at GFA’s offices around the world. Pray He will prepare the hearts of the men and women He is calling to serve with GFA World. Pray He will confirm their calling and strengthen their faith to take the next step.

  Print these prayer requests out for your convenience.